Low Energy Air Cooler-Heater

ABSTRACT

A set of devices that use pressure envelope (atmosphere) to leverage creating small volume changes with small amount of work to create larger heat energy temperature differences. Piston and turbine based devices using the same principles of exchanging heat for work allow production of temperature change proportional to volume times air pressure, while consuming less power, only the power required to deflect the piston from its point of equilibrium (volume times pressure increase or decrease) or the equivalent effect with a turbine. The devices can be configured for refrigeration and heating. All of the devices allow for improved efficiency, less sensitive to temperature differences between interior and exterior, costs less to manufacture, and consume less than half the energy a Freon/compressor/condenser/evaporator based air conditioner/heat pump.

CROSS -REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

None.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

This patent is not federally sponsored.

REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISC APPENDIX

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Air refrigeration and heat pumps use large amounts of energy and have limited range of temperature difference between the heat source/heat sink and the air or vapor being cooled or heated. Resistive heating does not have this limit, but has even higher energy requirements.

All heat engine's in part create temperature changes from work done or by the working vapor. They all are contained and affected by an atmospheric pressure envelope. In some instances the pressure envelope hinders the desired reaction. In the case of using Work to affect heat change, the Atmospheric pressure envelope assists in creating a larger temperature change than the amount of external additional work required could create directly.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Vapor pressure varies with volume by a negative exponent of a constant determined by the specific heat of the vapor called gamma. For air, gamma is 1.4. Vapor Temperature varies by a related constant Beta, equal to gamma minus 1. For air, beta is approximately 0.4. Temperature=k * Volume^(−0.4). The air envelope creates a very high pressure relative to vacuum. Volumes closed off by Pistons in the pressure envelope are held in balance. Although the force on either face of the piston is 1 atmosphere, or 15 pounds per square inch (10 newtons per square centimeter), because they are balanced, the force to deflect the piston at pressures near one atmosphere is much less than one atmosphere. As deflection increases, the added force increases in magnitude. The thermal affect of the deflection however, is proportional to approximately 15 psi * volume change, so is independent of the force of deflection. Described here are several devices which take advantage of this fact to produce a much higher efficiency air cooling/heating system than Freon heat pumps. Additionally, the devices are independent or less dependent of outside temperature. Two of three devices pump heat between an enclosure and the outside air based solely on the external air pressure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a Pressure and Temperature Vs Volume. Heat (or Temperature) vs. Volume is expressed with

Heat=k*Volume^(−beta) and Pressure vs. Volume as Pressure=k*Volume^(−(1+beta)) .

For air beta is 0.4, a property of the mixture of gases making up air. So for air:

Heat=k * Volume^(−0.4) and Pressure=Volume^(−(1+0.4)).

Plotted are relative heat and relative pressure and absolute temperatures:

Pressure=1 and Heat=1 and Temperature=300 starting at Volume=1.

Joules Heat change calculated by % heat change * 250 Joules per Liter at 300 Kelvin

Joules of work of deflection can be approximated by triangular area of work required to perturb balance. The atmospheric pressure=10 Newtons per centimeter and 10 centimeter-meters per liter or 100 Newton-Meters (Joules) per Liter*Atmosphere. If horizontal scale is Liters, vertical is Atmospheres (pressure) then work is the area of the triangle times 100 Newton-Meters (Joules)

(Approximation is because the Heat curve is nearly a straight line over this range, but not quite.) Formula is ((Relative Pressure −1)+0)/2 * (Volume change), or 1/2 height * base of triangle * 100 Joules.

FIG. 2 Shows work area being stored as heat in air=total of dark and light great areas, HW+AW. HW is

Pressure*Volume Work, AW=Added Work (by device). The Energy multiplier is the ratio of the total area to the light gray area.

FIG. 3 Shows Work area for Heat being removed from Air is Dark Gray (HW or work due to Pressure*Volume). For Added Work (by device) in light gray (AW). Energy multiplier is ratio of dark gray area to light gray area.

FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 show graphically why there is a “mechanical” advantage to using a device near ambient pressure to achieve temperature change.

FIG. 4 is Device A, a Beta cooler/heater, based on the graphs from FIGS. 15, 16 and 17.

Subcomponents are:

#1 a cam shaft

#2 an electric motor or equal

#3 Insulated cylinders and pistons

#4 Air intake Plenum

#5 Intake valves, electrically controlled

#6 Air conduits, plenum to valve at cylinder

#7 Intake of air plenum

#8 Outflow of outflow air plenum (plenum not visible in this view)

FIG. 5 shows side view of Beta cooler/heater.

Subcomponents as above, and additionally:

#9 Outflow Air Plenum

#10 Outflow cylinder valves, electrically controlled

#11 Outflow Plenum to Cylinder valve air conduits

FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 are perspective views of same device

FIG. 8 is 4 views of piston/cam timing.

Note, unlike a 4 stroke, which has two pairs of pistons in synch, each piston of this device travels at different times. This allows for smooth air flow and smooth load on the motor.

FIG. 9 is Device B, a variation of Beta cooler/heater device which isolates the vapor used for effecting temperature change from the air being cooled or heated.

#1 is a an insulated volume containing a heat exchanging array of tubing.

#2 is a sealed, isolated volume of tubing, arranged as heat exchanger, externally connected to a sealed device capable of changing vapor volume and/or vapor temperature via volume change (shown is a piston).

#3 is external vapor volume changing device (cylinder) with a (#5) piston and piston rod sealing

#4 is simple tubing to connect device volume control with heat exchange volume. Variations include using turbine(s) to affect vapor volume and temperature change, which could be in a flow through arrangement for continuous instead of iterative operation.

FIG. 10 is side view, #1, #3, #4, #5 same as last paragraph.

FIGS. 11 & 12 are diagonal perspective views, with and without volume side panel, respectively.

FIGS. 13 & 14 are side perspective views, with and without volume side panel, respectively.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram of Device C, a third alternative Beta Cooler/Heater device with constant flow through both inside of heat exchange core of Beta cooled/heated air, and constant flow around heat exchanger core of conditioned space air.

#A is condition air intake (inside vehicle or building)

#B is conditioned are outflow

#C is outflow turbine outflow as shown, or point of constricted air outflow, a variation.

#D is inflow turbine outflow as shown, or point of constricted air inflow, a variation.

#E is electrical control of electric motor/generator controlled turbine or turbines.

#F is exterior air exhaust, through a 2nd counter floe heat exchanger.

#G is exterior air intake, through the exterior counter flow heat exchanger.

#H is enclosure for interior conditioned air around the interior heat exchanger.

#1 is temperature controlled path, via conductive tubing or other suitable heat exchanger. Turbine(s) increase pressure to increase temperature relative to ambient for heating, decrease pressure to decrease temperature from ambient.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The Beta Cooler/Heater Device: Any vapor has a characteristic exponential pressure curve it makes as volume changes in an insulated container. The value of the exponent is a constant, usually called Gamma, which is a function of the specific heat of the given vapor, gas or air. For atmospheric air, Gamma is about 1.4. Similarly, each kind of gas has an exponential energy curve where the exponent is a constant, Beta , whose value is gamma minus 1. Consequently, the first of the related devices is a Beta cooler, as it can cool air by a quantity determined by Beta.

The cooling operation is extremely simple, an expansion (or compression for heating) of a piston in a sealed, well insulated chamber. The expansion cools the air by a Volume^(−Beta) factor.

The Beta cooler also serves as Beta Heater when reversed. Operated as an air cooler or heater for a car or building, a considerable gain from work energy to thermal effect.

The table below shows energy gains for small perturbations from equilibrium with volumes at the same pressure (such as 1 Atmosphere). Efficiency is extreme for temperature drops of 20 degrees F., over a factor of 15.

Volume 1/1.3 1/1.2 1/1.1 1 1.1 1.2 1.3 Pressure, Relative 1.44 1.29 1.14 1.0 .874 .77 .69 Temperature, Absolute 333 322 311 300 289 279 270 Heat, Relative 1.11 1.075 1.038 1.0 .963 .93 .90 Temperature Delta, C. 33 22 11 0 −11 −21 −30 Temperature Delta, F. 60 40 20 0 −20 −38 −54 Joules Heat Change/L 27.5 18.75 9.25 0 −9.25 −17.5 −25 Joules External Work/L 5.9 2.5 0.6 0 0.6 2.3 4.7 Volume Change/L −.23 −.17 −.09 0 .1 .2 .3 Power Multiple of 4.7 7.5 15 — 15 7.6 5.3 Thermal Effect

Where does the extra energy come from (or go to)? This Beta cooler/heater device effectively pumps heat from inside the cylinder to the outside air, or vice versa. Although Atmospheric pressure is significant, 15 pounds per scare inch (10 newtons per square centimeter). A 20 degree F. change requires only 12% of an Atmosphere pressure change and only displaces 10% of volume. For this case the force is, an average of 6%, or 0.9 pounds per square inch or 0.6 Newtons per square centimeter. Small force and small distance makes small energy requirement.

All devices disclosed depend on the effects described above and the FIGS. 1, 2, and 3.

The Device A Beta cooler/heater device is independent of outside temperature, unlike conventional compressor/condenser/evaporator based heat pumps. Traditional heat pumps must overcome the temperature difference to outside air. This device directly pumps energy based on the pressure on each side of the piston. It can pump heat from an extremely cold exterior air. Note the inside air and outside air are separated in the device. The device takes inside air, and returns it to the inside. The work to do most of the heat change is passed to the outside air based on air pressure, not temperature. Either inside air or outside air can be ducted, to allow placement of the unit inside or outside the AC envelope (car, building, etc.).

As an example, a Beta cooler/heater system with four 3 liter pistons (12 liters total) could run at variable speeds of 1 to 600 RPM. At 600 RPM the air flow is 120 liters per second, or about 240 cubic feet per minute. The device serves as integral air cooler/heater and variable speed fan. No separate fan is required. At 600 RPM, the system takes 72 watts of power for a 10% deflection (excluding force for air flow or friction), and produces 1110 watts of heat change, or about 4,000 BTU/HR, at 30% deflection, produces 3300, or about 12,000 BTU/HR, for an energy cost of 708 watts enough for a large car or small house. The total air capacity of the system is about 0.4 cubic feet.

In comparison to conventional heat pumps, a typical 12,000 BTU/HR AC/HP is 120 V and 13 A or 1560 watts, more than double the energy cost of the Beta Cooler/Heater system disclosed here.

The shape of the piston is not important, so can be circular or rectangle. The device will never have a pressure difference between inside and outside more than 0.4 Atmospheres. The air seal should be good, but does not need to withstand any concentrated pressure. The ideal seal will have low friction when it moves along the container. The ideal piston will be of minimal weight, to allow fast operation. A rectangular box shape would make the best use of space, and will be the most compact form of a given volume device. A Rectangular device must have strong walls so that 0.4 atmospheres does not cause a deflection that interferes with function.

Device B is an alternate configuration to cool or heat air in a separate space, and use a heat exchanger. Conditioned space air can be blown through the heat exchanger. This allows separation of the air flow, and allows colder or hotter air temperatures to be used, since the air flow will average out the temperature between the ambient and heat exchanger temperature. This design requires a separate fan to move the conditioned air.

This method has limitations similar to Freon based systems, if the air used to flow through the pressurized part of the system comes from the non conditioned space. A Piston based system for pressure change would require iterative operation. Each volume of pressurized vapor will have a fixed amount of heat capacity. Once consumed another iteration of restoring initial state and re-pressurizing is needed to continue operation.

Device C is a turbine based system with separate pressurized heat exchange space and conditioned air space. Single or paired turbines can be used to produce the pressure difference producing the thermal heating or cooling effect. This can be arranged as a counter flow heat exchange, to maximize transfer of thermal effect to the conditioned space. Device C has advantages in noise, vibration and high, smooth flow rates over piston systems, so are desirable when the difference between conditioned air temperature and external air temperature are small enough.

Energy conservation in extreme heat or cold environments, arctic to tropical, would benefit significantly from the Device A piston system's independence from external heat.

However, Device C couples with a second exterior counter flow heat exchanger, which minimizes the impact of difference in exterior vs. interior temperatures. It effectively regains most of the temperature range independence of Device A. 

1. Disclosed is a class of devices that accomplish temperature change to heat or cool air or vapor.
 2. Devices in claim 1 are disclosed in 3 variations; Device A is piston based, mixed conditioned air in pressurized space; Device B makes separate conditioned air space and pressurized air/vapor space with piston controlled pressurization, and Device C makes separate conditioned air space and pressurized air/vapor space with turbine controlled pressurization.
 3. Device A, B and C cited in claim 2 can cool or heat a separate volume of air significantly relative to starting source air temperature, with little force needed to counter air pressure, resulting in heat energy change many times the amount of exterior work applied.
 4. Device A, B and C cited in claim 2 will for ideal system consume 50% or less of the energy of a conventional Freon air conditioner or heat pump.
 5. Device A, B and C cited in claim 2 can replace air conditioning (cooling) and heat pump systems, without using Freon or other coolant, condenser, compressor or evaporator.
 6. Device A, B and C cited in claim 2 uses significantly less consumed power than the net energy of the thermal effect.
 7. Device A cited in claim 2 operates and consumes a quantity of energy independent of external temperature.
 8. Device A cited in claim 2 does not have a limited range of external temperatures over which it operates nor a limit on the temperature difference between conditioned air and external air.
 9. Device A, B and C cited in claim 2 does not use Freon or any other coolant or chemicals, nor evaporator coil, condenser coil, nor compressor.
 10. Device A, B and C cited in claim 2 can be manufactured for a small fraction of the price of conventional heat pump and air conditioning systems.
 11. Device B and C cited in claim 2 operate and consume a (smaller) quantity of energy more independent of external temperature than do current Freon based systems.
 12. Device B and C cited in claim 2 operate with a greater range of external temperatures and have a larger a limit on the maximum temperature difference between conditioned air and external air, than current Freon based systems. 